“The advantage of cycling as a method of physical activity for
the general population is that it can be carried out easily as part
of daily life (shopping, school and work commuting). The Finnish study
concluded that: “Walking and cycling during work trips currently
provide the possibility for regular physical activity for a considerable
proportion of the working population, and there is potential for a substantial
increase of actively commuting people.” Cycling to and from work
has also been suggested as more acceptable and more cost-effective than
formal work-site exercise classes. For children, strategies to promote
less sedentary lifestyles are emerging as being the most effective in
preventing obesity.”

nhs
under tories > 1000 cases a year; under the lying clown > 55,681
in 2006 - and that’s just one problem

As usual, socialist Labour put their union clients
before public responsibility, while the lying ministers try to pretend
that it is “'an isolated incident”:

“Mr Johnson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning that
the Kent outbreak was an isolated incident [...].”
—
“[...] But the health service marches relentlessly on, having
hoovered up two thirds of the increase in public spending in the past
five years.”
—
“The Healthcare Commission's report concluded that the infection
probably or definitely killed at least 90 patients and was a factor
in the deaths of a further 241.” [Quoted from telegraph.co.uk]

But don’t worry, there’s to be a new ‘target’
- 30% drop in the next 4 years.

C’mon - how many of you believe it?

Here is some new figures claimed even by the government
propaganda arm:

infections

2004

44,000

2006

55,681

deaths

2004

2747

2005

3842

So nothing to worry about, the British and the National
Health Service are safe in ‘New’ Labour’s hands, if
only they'd wash them!

“The NHS is Britain’s last big state monopoly. It is the
largest employer in the developed world. Its 1.4 million staff outnumber
the private and public healthcare workforce of Germany, a country with
25 per cent more people and better health outcomes. Its powerful unions
view any slowdown in spending growth as a "cut". And cut is
a deadly word in political terms. The Government had its chance, when
it was flush with cash, to demand reform as a quid pro quo for more
money. But it did not go far enough.

“In the 1990s it was possible to argue that the NHS was starved
of cash. But not any more. Britain is now spending at about the European
average, but lags behind too many other European countries in terms
of results. Far too many cancer patients, babies and stroke victims
are still dying needlessly. Far too many patients, particularly the
elderly, are treated with a callousness bordering on brutality. Almost
everyone I know who has had a baby recently has been told by the nurses
to bring their own Jif, and not to set foot in an NHS shower without
scrubbing it. World-class that isn’t.

“Sir Derek Wanless, Gordon Brown’s former health guru,
reported last month that almost half of the extra £45 billion
that has been spent in the past five years has gone on pay and price
inflation [...]” [Quoted from timesonline.co.uk]

‘New’ Labour under police investigation
again:

“Hospital managers could face criminal prosecution for the worst
ever recorded outbreaks of the superbug Clostridium difficile which
killed at least 90 patients.

“Police have launched an investigation into the infection of
more than 1,100 Kent hospital patients, after a report published today
blamed the spread of the disease on appalling hygiene standards.”
[Quoted from timesonline.co.uk]

“Between January and September 2006, the trust had the twelfth
highest rate of C. difficile per 1,000 bed days for patients 65 years
and over, out of 166 trusts which submitted data. In the full year January
to December 2006, the trust had the twenty-first highest rate of C.
difficile per 1,000 bed days for patients 65 years and over, out of
167 trusts that submitted data. From January to December 2005 the trust
had the twenty-sixth highest rate, while from January to December 2004
the trust had the twelfth highest rate.

“The trust had the 41st highest MRSA bacteraemia rate per 10,000
bed days for the period from April 2006 to March 2007 [...].”
[Quoted from bbc.co.uk]

“Your chances of surviving cancer in the UK remain below the
European average.

“And only in former eastern bloc states are you more likely to
die if you develop lung, breast, prostate and colorectal cancer. Why?”
[Quoted from bbc.co.uk]

“Almost half of hospital kitchens fail to meet basic standards
of hygiene, it has been revealed.

“The catalogue of breaches of food safety rules includes infestations
of cockroaches and mice and used needles and syringes left on meal trays.

“Environmental health reports from around the country also describe
medicines being stored in kitchen fridges, milk being kept in freezers
used for drugs and drinks such as orange juice being stored next to
chemicals.

“In all, almost half of the 377 hospitals surveyed failed to
meet the most basic standards of food hygiene.” [Quoted from thisislondon.co.uk]

“Elderly people are suffering from abuse, neglect and malnutrition
in hospitals and care homes, according to a report by peers and MPs.

“The report, published today by the Joint Committee on Human
Rights, calls for changes in the law to safeguard the care of older
people, and for a "complete change of culture" in health and
care services.

“More than a fifth of care homes have been found to be failing
basic standards for privacy and dignity, with the most vulnerable residents
struggling to eat without proper help, being subjected to verbal and
physical abuse or being left to lie in their urine or excrement.

“Two thirds of NHS hospital beds are occupied by the over65s,
while the number of older people in the population is growing such that,
by 2050, there will be twice as many Britons aged over 80 as there are
today. Although the committee was told that some patients received excellent
care, it said "there are serious concerns about poor treatment,
neglect, abuse, discrimination and ill-considered discharge".”
[Quoted from timesonline.co.uk]

“Forty-one per cent of strains of Staphyloccus aureaus in UK
hospitals were found to be antibiotic resistant compared with one per
cent in Sweden and Finland and zero in the Netherlands. Israel and Greece
were only slightly better than the UK with recorded levels of 44.1 per
cent and 38.6 per cent respectively.” [Quoted from direct-healthcare.com]

“Despite improvements in recent years, the number of people
awaiting surgery is currently above 200,000 people on the books, 20
percent of whom have been waiting for more than year, despite a maximum
five-month period being stipulated by the National Health Service.

“NHS officials are looking to reduce this number to below the
200,000 mark by the end of 2008, though seem to have a considerable
battle ahead.” [Quoted from google.the-news.net]

And here’s yet another one:

“The findings have implications for the UK government's proposals
to close local emergency care departments in favour of fewer more specialised
centres, in a bid to save lives, say the authors. Local closures will
inevitably spell longer ambulance journeys for critically ill patients,
they say.

“In all, the risk of death rose by 1% for every 10 kilometres
(6 miles).” [Quoted from sciencedaily.com]

“An investigation of dozens of laser printers revealed that
almost 30 per cent emit potentially dangerous levels of tiny toner-like
material into the air.

“These ultra-fine particles are capable of infiltrating the lungs
and causing lasting damage on the scale of inhaled cigarette smoke,
said researcher Professor Lidia Morawska, from the Queensland University
of Technology.

“ "Ultra-fine particles are of most concern because they
can penetrate deep into the lungs where they can pose a significant
health threat," Professor Morawska said.

“ "These [printer] particles are tiny like cigarette smoke
particles and, when deep inside the lung, they do the same amount of
damage." ” [Quoted from theage.com.au]

“In the case of a spinal cord injury like Jennifer French's,
the leg muscles, for example, aren't damaged. They just don't receive
a signal from the brain telling them what to do. The system developed
by Hunter Peckham and colleagues at Case Western Reserve University
bypasses the injured part of the nervous system and applies an electrical
stimulation to replicate the signal that the muscles no longer receive.
But the artificial system takes some getting used to."

“With increasing research into what causes wrinkles and the effects
of photoaging, alpha hydroxy acids[AHAs] have increased
greatly in popularity. Alpha hydroxy acids have been used for thousands
of years as a skin rejuvenating product. Cleopatra is reported to have
bathed in sour mild (lactic acid) to improve her complexion. Now hydroxy
acids are a common additive to numerous skin care products including
moisturizers, cleanser, toners, and masks”
—
“Alpha hydroxy acids work mainly as an exfoliant. They cause the
cells of the epidermis to become "unglued" allowing the dead
skin cells to slough off, making room for regrowth of new skin.”
—
“The two major side effects of alpha hydroxy
acids are irritation and sun sensitivity. Symptoms of irritation
include redness, burning, itching, pain, and possibly scarring. People
with darker colored skin are at a higher risk of scarring pigment changes
with alpha hydroxy acids. The use of alpha hydroxy acids can increase
sun sensitivity by 50% [...]” [Quoted from dermatology.about.com]

“Alpha hydroxy works by exfoliating the skin; that is, causing
the surface skin cells to slough off, revealing newer, less damaged
skin cells beneath. This can be done in a dermatologist's office, using
a high concentration of Alpha hydroxy acid, in which case it is known
as a 'chemical peel'. Lower concentrations of AHA applied over a longer
period of time have a similar effect, but can take weeks or longer for
the effects to appear.

“Since alpha hydroxy is an acid, it may irritate the skin, leaving
it red, itchy or painful. In commercial, over-the-counter preparations,
AHA should be in concentrations of less than ten percent. Its long-term
use also appears to leave the user more sensitive to UV light (photosensitive)
and therefore more prone to sunburn. The FDA
warns that alpha hydroxy users should be sure to wear wide brimmed hats
or strong sunscreen when outdoor, to prevent them from re-damaging
the skin they have gone to such lengths to repair.” [Quoted from
wisegeek.com]

And what’s this about tile cleaner? (Or scum or rust stain or limescale
remover, or....)

“Men had more success with the shots [injections] than women.
Shots succeeded in more than half of the men (56%) compared with 8%
of women, who usually have more fat in their buttocks than men.

“ "Our study has demonstrated that a majority of people,
especially women, are not getting the proper dosage from injections
to the buttocks," says Chan in a news release.” [Quoted from
cbsnews.com]

“The company has spent $5,000 for the stretcher, manufactured
by the Stryker firm, which can accommodate a patient weighing as much
as 1,600 pounds. The stretcher has all the bells and whistles: lap-belt
extensions and additional handles for easier lifting.” [Quoted
from washingtonpost.com]

“Obese Americans are overwhelming medical imaging machines that
now have a hard time peering inside their bodies, doctors reported Wednesday.

“ "Hospital radiology departments are increasingly unable
to adequately image and assess obese patients because of the limitations
in current radiology equipment," said Raul Uppot, a physician at
Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

“The main problem is that ultrasound waves have to penetrate
body tissue to produce a quality image [...]." ” [Quoted
from msnbc.msn.com]

“ A California agency voted on Thursday to classify second-hand
tobacco smoke as a "toxic air contaminant," a first-in-the-nation
move that could ultimately toughen state regulations against smoking.

“The designation by California's Air Resources Board starts a
process that could lead to further smoking bans in the nation's largest
state, which has often pioneered in health and environmental regulation.”

I suppose, logically, this will lead to people beins
sued for knowingly and deliberately dispersing poisons in public places.